This is because he had already established himself as a recording artist during his time in the pop group, who started life in 2010.

Bill Freimuth, senior vice president of awards at the Recording Academy, said on the Grammys website in response to a question about the matter: "This was actually pretty clear cut given the international success of One Direction. It's been a few years since Zayn Malik came to prominence as a member of that group, making him ineligible for the best new artist category this year."